Maximal evenness was first introduced in the music theory domain by John Clough and Jack Douthett. Later, the concept was explored by others such as Dmitri Tymoczko and Richard Cohn. Although maximal evenness was first explored with respect to pitch-classes, the concept can be understood in the rhythmic domain. An explanation of voice-leading space can be found here to create a conceptual foundation before departing to the implications of maximal evenness on rhythm. This thesis will then explore the concept further by exploring music from Steve Reich and György Ligeti to demonstrate the applicability and deeper understanding of the concept.

This study examines the compositional devices Eckhard Kopetzki used to create consonance and dissonance throughout his two works for solo percussion, Topf-Tanz and Canned Heat. By manipulating meter, ostinato, syncopation, polyrhythm, note values and overlapping figures, Kopetzki creates high levels of musical tension and release that shape phrase structure and large-scale form. After a discussion of rhythmic consonance and dissonance, and specific rhythmic devices, both works are considered in detail, illuminating the composer’s compositional language. Topf-Tanz is an exploration of contrasting ideas: the rhythmic and the lyrical, the call and the response, the loud and the soft. It is manifested first in the opposition of antecedent and consequent phrases and second in the overlapping of contrasting metric ideas, which creates prolonged rhythmic dissonance. Canned Heat, on the other hand, is composed through a process of continuing melodic variation. Throughout the piece, melodic motives are prolonged and abridged, creating both delay and acceleration to cadential figures. In contrast to these melodic ideas, each phrase is concluded with stark and syncopated rhythmic punctuations. Topf-Tanz and Canned Heat share Kopetzki’s creation of rhythmic consonance and dissonance. Most notably is the overlapping of contrasting metric ideas between the two hands, and highlighting this contrast through the use of two contrasting instrument families; skin and metal. On the large scale, both works progress from of a place of rhythmic consonance to one of dissonance.

The general purpose of this paper is the discussion of the interpretation and performance of rhythm within the context of Paul Creston's five rhythmic structures. Specific objectives are to bring to light Creston's unique rhythmic terminology, theories, and structures; and to interpret rhythm at the piano with an emphasis on accent, pedaling, articulation, balance of textures, and pace.

“The beautiful, as a complement to the true” A study of the student's learning, participation and development - through dance, rhythmic and music as aesthetic learning processes at the after-school center. The purpose of the study was to investigate how the teachers in after-school centers work with students' learning, development and participation through aesthetic learning processes, and also to investigate how the work looks from a gender equality perspective. My research questions were: How do teachers work with students' learning and participation through aesthetic learning processes such as dance, rhythmic and music in the after-school center? Also: Does it look different when it comes to boys and girls participation in aesthetic learning processes? How and why in such a case? The method I used in my study was a qualitative research study with semi-structured interviews with two teachers in after-school centers and with a dance teacher and a rhythmic and music teacher. In the analysis of my material and as a theoretical perspective, I have used the knowledge forms episteme, techne and fronesis, as well as from a gender equality perspective.The results of the study show that the aesthetically trained teachers had a lot of experience and many thoughts about how to work with learning around aesthetic learning processes and from a subject-integrated way, including through language and mathematics. Unlike afterschool teachers who partly felt that there was a certain resistance or difficulty in working with dance, music and rhythmic as aesthetic learning processes at the after-school center, when the feeling of not feeling comfortable or not having the right knowledge existed. However, the teachers could see great joy and learning in the students in working with the aesthetic forms. Here, the most common aesthetic subject was arts and craft, which they started from at the after-school center. There were also many thoughts and ideas on how the work with dance, rhythmic and music could be developed more at the leisure center. When it comes to looking at it from a gender equality perspective, the answer was largely that the majority of girls choose the activity, but that the desire to work more with a broader gender equality perspective was present in everyone.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第18280号 / 工博第3872号 / 新制||工||1594(附属図書館) / 31138 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科電気工学専攻 / (主査)教授 小林 哲生, 教授 中村 裕一, 准教授 古谷 栄光 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

The present study sought to confirm melodic expectancy patterns discovered in a previous investigation and to determine whether data would be affected by altering the rhythmic condition of the stimuli. The three problems of this investigation were to study expectancies generated by two-note stimulus intervals of equal duration; the expectancies generated by stimulus intervals presented with a long-short rhythm; and the expectancies generated by stimulus intervals presented with a short-long rhythm. Fifty subjects were asked to sing what they believed would be the natural continuation of the melody begun by a two-note stimulus interval. The stimulus intervals were grouped in rhythmic sets, one set of neutral-rhythm stimuli, one set of long-short stimuli, and one set of short-long stimuli. The interval from the second note of the stimulus interval to the first sung note was transcribed as the generated expectancy response interval. The data were examined in two basic ways, using response data as a whole and examining data for each stimulus interval separately. A third method of data evaluation concerned harmonic triads occurring in the response data. Both when considering response frequency as a whole, and when considering response data separately for each melodic beginning, no significant difference associated with rhythmic condition could be found. Smaller response intervals were generated much more often than large intervals. Some stimulus intervals, notably the major second ascending, were observed to be much more powerful generators than others. It was concluded from these results that in response to two-note stimulus intervals melodic expectancy can clearly be shown to operate, confirming the results of an earlier study, but that no effect of rhythm on melodic expectancy can be shown to operate.

The application of the label music to complex sound requires structure. Musical or rhythmic structure can be thought of as being due to the interaction of two theoretically distinct structures of phrase and metre. Perception of both metrical and phrase structure is dependent not only on the physical structure of the acoustic presentation but also upon cognitive structure being imposed on the auditory sensations. Early work in the psychology of music focused on establishing the perceptual cues that determine the parsing of music in time. These perceptual determinants can be categorized on the basis of the theoretical components of music: melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre. With the exception of accent strength based on stability judgments of tones or chords (i.e., structural accenting), phenomenal accents have been assumed by some theorists to be equally-salient, additive, and categorical. The assumption of equal accent strength not only has been applied to different phenomenal accents within a theoretical component category but also between categories. Three series of experiments were conducted to test the assumption of equal weight and additivity of rhythmic cues. In the first series, a harmonic and a temporal accent were pitted against each other in such a way as to form different rhythm patterns. As well, two harmonic conditions which varied in the frequency of chord presentations (i.e., the compositerhythm) but not the frequency of chord changes (i.e., the harmonic-rhythm) were presented. Musicians and nonmusicians were requested to report perceived rhythm patterns in an attempt to determine the relative salience of the harmonic and temporal accents. In addition, a behavioural measure of the perceived metre was taken. Results indicated that the location of chord changes was the main determinant of subjects' rhythmic perceptions and the perceived onset of a measure. As well, although subjects primarily inferred different metres based on the composite-rhythm, an interaction of metrical and rhythmic choices was found indicating that perception of rhythm patterns and inference of metrical structure may not always be independent. In the second series of experiments, the contribution of harmonic-temporal and harmonic-structural features to the perception of rhythm patterns was investigated by pitting a harmonic and a temporal accent against each other in such a way as to form 5 possible rhythm patterns. Across the experiments, the chord progressions employed were varied, as was the timing of chord onsets (i.e., the composite-rhythm) and changes (i.e., the harmonic-rhythm). In all experiments, musicians and nonmusicians were requested to report perceived rhythm patterns in an attempt to determine the relative salience of the various accents. Results indicated that changes in the composite-and harmonic-rhythm led to a predictable change in an inferred metrical structure, and that all diatonic chord progressions lead to similar patterns of responses in which coincidences of harmonic, temporal, and inferred metrical accents were perceptually salient events. When a nondiatonic chord progression was employed however, there was neither evidence of an inferred metre, nor of responses on the basis of accent coincidence. Overall, musicians were found to primarily report rhythm patterns defined by the location of harmonic accents, while nonmusicians reported rhythm patterns defined by an inferred metrical structure. In the third series of experiments, the relative contribution of cues for metre inference was determined. In many theories of metre inference, the cues which serve as markers for major metrical accent locations are the basis from which one infers or determines a metre. However, phrase and metrical structure often support one another with phrase boundaries coinciding with metrically important locations. Thus, it becomes difficult to determine which cues, if any, are used exclusively, or predominantly as the basis for metre inference. Three experiments were conducted in which different time-spans defined by harmonic, melodic, and temporal accents, and their coincidences were systematically pitted against one another. Musicians and nonmusicians were requested to identify the metre of the stimuli as belonging to a category of either a triple (e.g., 6/8 or 3/4 time), or a duple metre (e.g., 2/4 or 4/4 time). It was found that musicians use harmonic information much more often and reliably than do nonmusicians who also use the temporal accent to define a metrical structure. Nevertheless, across the experiments, when a harmonic accent was present, subjects used that accent to define the metre. Furthermore, the coincidence of melodic accents was used more often than a temporal accent to determine a metrical structure. Together the three series of experiments highlight the significant role of harmonic accents in the perception of rhythm patterns in music. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a program of rhythmic training upon the ability to perform music at sight. In addition to examining the overall sight-reading improvement, rhythm reading improvement was also investigated. The program of rhythmic training utilized the Temporal Acuity Products (TAP) system as the rhythm training aid. From these findings it was concluded that the program of rhythmic training did not affect the ability to perform music at sight. A transfer of rhythm reading to sight-reading did no take place. Results of the retention test indicated an improvement in the experimental group's scores over an extended period of time. This improvement revealed that when subjects were tested after two months, the program of rhythmic training did have an effect on sight-reading ability. It was also concluded that there might be a hierarchy of skills in which rhythmic training is only one aspect. Furthermore, there could be a combination of skills which must improve simultaneously in order to effect overall sight-reading ability.

Individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) present with motor and non-motor symptoms, including in the visuospatial domain. Correction of walking abnormalities through application of visual cues in the environment has been reported in PD, but the mechanisms of action are poorly understood. The present project examined competing explanations of the effects of visual guidance on multiple aspects of gait in PD. Comfortable over-ground walking was performed by 9 participants with left-side motor onset (LPD), 11 with right-side motor onset (RPD), and 13 age-matched normal control participants (NC). Study 1 examined whether veering in PD is predominantly induced by asymmetrical perception of the visual environment or by motor asymmetry between relatively affected and relatively non-affected body side. Walking conditions were eyes-open, vision-occluded, and egocentric reference point (walk toward the perceived center of a distant target). The visual hypothesis predicted that LPD, with a known tendency toward left spatial hemineglect, would veer rightward, whereas RPD would veer leftward. The motor hypothesis predicted the opposite pattern of results because the more affected body side has shorter step length. The results supported the visual hypothesis. In Study 2, visually-cued gait was examined to establish whether the key variable to improvement is attention to pattern rhythmicity, or instead if improvement may arise from perception of dynamic flow. Floor patterns included transverse lines (attention; 3 frequencies) and randomly-placed squares (dynamic; 3 densities). Relative to baseline, both transverse lines and random squares, especially at higher frequency/density, resulted in gait improvements and induced more stable interlimb coordination, especially for LPD, the subgroup known to have greater visual dependence. Effects lasted after the cues were removed. The success of the random-squares cuing indicates that the mechanism of improvement may be dynamic flow of visual texture rather than attention, and further suggests that vision-based interventions need not be restricted to transverse lines. Taken together, the studies lay the foundation for the development of treatments for walking disturbances in PD by addressing critical issues that could influence the outcomes of therapeutic interventions, including the role of visual input and the differential effects on PD subgroups. / 2017-07-01T00:00:00Z

No description available.